TUSCALOOSA, Alabama -- More than 200 people marched nearly a mile in west Tuscaloosa Friday night, crying out for justice as they made their way from Stillman college to Freeman Park, where the demonstrators held an hour-long rally filled with prayers, songs and short speeches.

The rally, which was organized by leaders from the Tuscaloosa County chapter of the NAACP and students at Stillman College, was an act of opposition to not only the not guilty verdict given to George Zimmerman in Florida after his trial for the February 2012 shooting death of Trayvon Martin, but also in response to a spike in local gun violence. There have been at least nine people hurt or killed in seven separate shootings in the Tuscaloosa area in July alone, including a 4-year-old who was shot in her sleep during a drive-by shooting last week.

Demonstrators marched, spoke and prayed for that child, Tamerra Harper, as well as for every other victim of gun violence in Tuscaloosa and Birmingham, in Chicago and Detroit, and all around the United States.

"We don't want to forget about her, either," said Jerry Carter, the president of the Tuscaloosa County chapter of the NAACP. "She lives right here in Tuscaloosa and what happened to her is a tragedy. We need to give the same attention to that young lady that we give to Trayvon Martin, because her life is just as important. We don't want overlook any victim of violence, especially a 4-year-old child who has had to endure what she has-- a bullet lodged in her skull and having her arm broken by a bullet."

A dozen people addressed the crowd in Freeman Park Friday night, and their connections to gun violence were as varied as they were tragic. Harper's uncle condemned gun violence and said the wounded 4-year-old's recovery was a work in progress, but she was slowly getting better. One of the event's organizers lost his son to a gunshot wound in 2008. Two young men also stood at the microphone and talked about having been shot themselves, urging Tuscaloosa's young black men to understand that the lifestyle revolving around drugs and violence that is glorified in hip-hop culture isn't worth what it costs.

"All of my friends are dead or in jail, and all of you young men do not have to go through that, too, it's not worth it." said Gerald Hicks, a junior at Stillman who said he was shot in the chest at the age of 17 in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. "There's nothing in the streets for you, OK? All people want to see is if you've got an education, and when you have that education, no one can take that from you."

Speakers ranging from current college students to older men and women who participated in the civil rights movement in Alabama during the 1960s also called for activism from the young people in the Tuscaloosa community, because the future should be shaped by those who will raise their children in it, not by those who already did their part in instituting positive change decades ago.

"We can tweet about it, Instagram it, or Facebook about it, sit around and talk to our friends about it, but we're not getting up there and getting active in our community," said 23-year-old Teika Thompson, a senior at Stillman College who partnered with Carter and the NAACP to organize the rally. "This is a time that us as young people have to stand up and show that we are not just about violence, that is not all we can do."

Tuscaloosa Rally for Trayvon MartinSongs, prayers and short speeches followed a march of nearly a mile in Tuscaloosa Friday. Hundreds participated in the rally, which was held to condemn both the increase of gun violence in the area this summer and the not guilty verdict given to Florida's George Zimmerman last week, who was on trial for the February 2012 shooting death of a black teenager, Trayvon Martin.

The demonstrators called for every imaginable response to the local violence and the Zimmerman verdict that did not involve more violence. Many called for education and the wielding of intelligence, not pistols, as a weapon. Others asked those gathered to become smarter voters in every level of government, saying local crime could be stemmed by new, energetic leaders and laws could only be changed statewide and nationally by sending a clear message to politicians during every election.

The rally took place in west Tuscaloosa, the city's District 1, which is led by city councilman Bobby Howard. Howard is running in the most contested council race in the city this year, and though he didn't take part in the march, his political opponents didn't miss the opportunity. Panganena Wilson, one contender for Howard's seat, sang a short rendition of Tamela Mann's Take Me to the King. Another opponent, Burrell Odom, took the microphone just long enough to introduce himself and thank the young people present for their attendance. Howard's other rival, Gregory Stallworth, was also in attendance, but chose not to address those there.

Kendall Robinson, a recent Stillman graduate, stood in front of the crowd wearing a baseball cap under and a dark hoodie. He carried Skittles and a can of iced tea, the two items Martin was carrying the night he was shot and killed in 2012. Many of the demonstrators had called the verdict given to Zimmerman unjust at best and racist at worst, but Robinson called for faith in the justice system and in the wisdom of the jury, and eloquently advocated for peace in the days to come.

"In times like these, it's important to strive to let the justice system, although flawed, work it out. Violence will only beget more violence," Robinson said. "If you take stand your ground laws to mean 'They've got guns, I'd better go get my gun,' then everybody's shooting. You're just going to start a vicious cycle of destruction and nothing's going to get solved. Rather than people my age and getting their guns, getting ready to shoot somebody, we all need to stand back and wait on God to work it out for us."